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Prepare Your Email Strategy for the Holiday Season

November is upon us, which means the time to plan your holiday email strategy is now! Use the tips below to prepare your mailing lists and festive campaigns for a successful season.

#1 Clean up your email subscription offerings.

If it’s been several months (or even years) since you’ve last updated your email subscriptions, be sure to do so before the holiday rush. Inventory your list of subscription offers and consider whether or not they’re still in line with your goals. For example, if your sign-up forms still tout a birthday email subscription option but you no longer send birthday emails to members, then you may be collecting entries on a contact list that never receives any mailings. Take time before the holidays to remove any unused subscriptions or create new ones relevant to your marketing strategy.

#2 Review your current opt-in and opt-out procedures.

Locate your email opt-in and opt-out forms on your website and within your mailing templates to ensure that they’re easy for your members or potential subscribers to find. Click on each link and make sure they’re working properly. Driving traffic toward a broken sign-up link before a big holiday email push could result in disappointing results.

#3 Use personalization tokens in your emails.

According to a recent study by Infosys, 85% of consumers who have experienced personalization from brands say that it influences their interactions and purchases from that brand. Consider using personalization tokens to further engage your audience by making them feel as if you’re speaking directly to them.

#4 Offer email-exclusive contests, offers, promotions.

Once you’ve driven traffic to your mailing lists, keep your audience engaging with your email campaigns by offering exclusive content. For example, include discounts for holiday gifts or services from your advertisers or pre-sale codes for event tickets. The opportunity to access extra content that members can’t get anywhere else will leave them looking forward to your next email! Just be sure you’re sending content that is in line with your subscription types so that it’s relevant to your audience’s interests.